Death, be not proud

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;"

Question 2

Why should death not be proud? List the speaker's major reasons.

The speaker is talking to death and telling death that it is not powerful. Death cannot control his life or be a  constant fear in his life. Death does not last because there is more to life after death. There is a Heaven or some sort of afterlife that conquers death. Death is not mighty and powerful but weak. Fate is in control, not death. The speaker tells death to stop "flexing" because it cannot determine death when fate is in the picture. There is no need to be afraid of death when death is like sleep. Sleep is pleasurable. When there is a life after death, death cannot be the end of everything. The speaker is not afraid.

Delight in Disorder

"A sweet disorder in the dress, kindles in clothes a wantonness."

Question 3

Consider the relationship of form to structure in this poem. How does this contribute to the meaning?


Instead of a neat world, the speaker prefers things to be in chaos and imperfect. In this way, the world in which the speaker is a part of is unique. The speaker strives to be different in a world that looks upon disorder in a negative way. Imperfections make life more interesting. In this way, the author has created an non-rhyming, different length sonnet which further adds to the disorder and imperfections that are purposely being stressed. In the larger sense, I think the speaker wants the reader to understand that one should embrace the disorder in life. Not everything has to be perfect and precise. The structure of the poem exemplifies this point very well.

Edward

"O I have killed my father dear, Mother, Mother."

Question 4
Does the repetition of each question and answer simply waste words or does it add to the suspense and emotional intensity?


Question 4 asks about the repitition and how the poem would be affected if the lines were not repeated. If you were to take out these lines, the poem would lose some of the creepy tone that comes from the repetition. Not only that, but the questioning on both sides would be lost. By repeating the questions, Edward's mother forces her son to admit the truth of his actions and make him feel guilt. In the end, it is the guilt that Edward feels that makes him curse his mother and tell her she is condemned to hell. Did his mother know all along? Did she tell Edward to kill his father? Regardless, he is troubled when it comes to admitting his wrongdoings and he seems to be upset.

That Time of Year

"As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away,"

Question #1


What are the three major images introduced by the three quatrains? What do they have in common?


The three major images introduced by the quatrains are those of death. The first image deals with fall turning into winter. Next, twilight is turning into night. Lastly, the fire turns to ashes. All of these images deal with something ending or dying. Fall fades to winter, twilight turns into darkness of the night and when the fire is put out it becomes ashes. Comparatively, these quatrains are all personifying death. The diction of the poem makes it seems as if the speaker is getting old and is nearing death. Due to the age of the speaker, his lover is spending all of her time with him because she knows that he will be gone soon. The poem signifies loss. Loss of seasons, nature, and love.

"To his coy mistress"

"But at my back I always hear
Time's a winged chariot hurrying near;"


This poem's tone has a sense of urgency. The speaker wishes and desires to have enough time to love his lover slowly, however there is not enough time to do this. The speaker is basically saying "life is short and we need to enjoy it while we can.". Instead of wasting time with people and other things, they need focus on loving each other completely while knowing that they have limited time. Time wont slow down for the two people and the speaker is very aware of this. Therefore a tone of urgency is created in the speaker. To me, the tone of urgency kind of creepily became an urgency to have sex with the woman instead of truly love her. The lover in this poem represents the idea that people cannot just wait to do what they want to do in life. Due to the fact that life is short, every moment needs to be treasured.

"Hazel Tells LaVerne"

"an how i can be a princess
me a princess" 

I enjoyed this poem. It was pretty humorous at some parts. The poem begins with the speaker at her job, cleaning a bathroom. When the frog appears and starts talking to the woman, she immediately disagrees with the talking frog and says "an how can i be a princess/ me a princess". The woman is aware of her current state of living, her job, her education, and possibly her looks. All of these things are contributing factors to the woman's disagreement with the frog. Although the lack of punctuation and vernacular language make the woman seems as if she is uneducated, the poem itself could have a bigger meaning. This woman understands that a slimy, green frog cannot give you what you want or desire and it definitely cannot make someone a princess. The necessity of people to desire to be something they are not is an ever present theme in society. This woman knows that even if the opportunity arises, a little frog cannot turn her into something she is not. She is smart enough to stick to her belief of this, regardless of whether she wants to be a princess or not.

"Getting Out"

"Taking hands 

we walked apart, until our arms stretched
between us. We held on tight and let go"


In Cleopatra Mathis's "Getting Out," the tone of the speaker is very reflective and reminiscent. The speaker describes a failed marriage. After reading the poem, I noticed the paradox in the last line "We held on tight and let go." To me, I feel like this line is a good description of the poem as a whole. The entire poem reflects on the marriage and how the bad times outweighed the good times. Although the two loved each other, there love wasn't enough to sustain their relationship and it fell apart. Although the couple loved each other, neither of them could stay in the relationship any longer. The desire to "hold on tight" was present for both parties, yet the truth of letting go was eminent. The vivid imagery really controls this poem and moves the theme forward.